On last night's MidWeek show the issue of begging was raised. A recovered junkie called Willie gave a heartbreaking account of how he stole from his siblings to fund his addiction, before sleeping the streets, robbing and begging determined his life path. He spent several stints in and out of prison and finally kicked the addiction with professional help and advice. Today, Willie is a stand-up comedian who gigs all over Ireland. But was Willie one of the lucky few? And will the new law do more harm than good?
http://www.tv3.ie/shows.php?request=midweek
Willie said he earned between €100-200 a week, most of which he used to buy drugs. He said that he was "ashamed" when he was forced to beg. When he saw anyone who might recognize him he used his hoodie to mask his face. He added that gardai never asked him to move because he kept to himself and was not a public nuisance.
The new begging law would ban begging near ATM's, 10m from businesses and "begging will now be an offence where it is accompanied by unacceptable conduct such as harassment, intimidation or obstruction," the Irish Times reported.
Granted, the restriction of begging near ATM's seems fair. Nobody wants to get mugged or harassed, which has been the case in a few instances. But, is the 10m from businesses entrances fair?
Most beggars plonk themselves near businesses; it is where the crowd ponder. They cause no harm, go about their daily lives and rattle a mug. Yes businesses don't like the view, but the majority of peaceful beggars shouldn't be punished in this regard, because of a problem caused by the minority, who engage in harassment and intimidation.
An immigration officer whose name I missed landed himself in hot water. He crossed the borderline into racial discrimination a few times. He proceeded in blaming the Roma Gypsies for engaging in "professional begging", and he even went as far as to say they made a career move. Colette was forced to intervene and add that this group were an ethnic minority; distinct from Romanians and that the problem persisted long before they ever landed here. The immigration officer then made comments about Ireland no longer being a country, but an EU Province. He purported blame on the EU's free borders and tried to dismiss the Irish element of begging.
The Irish Times also reported that begging "carries a penalty of a maximum term of imprisonment of one month and/or a fine of up to €400". I am pretty sure that most beggars can't afford that fine, so if that is to be the case, our already overpopulated prisons will be getting new arrivals soon.
Personally, I hate seeing people beg, I pity them and it makes me think about how lucky I am. I'd hate to think I was funding their drug addiction or adding to their salary though. But how do you know if they are genuine? We can't exactly ask them for a begging licence now can we? We have to do something. Everyone falls on hard times. If we act now we might be able to prevent beggars like Willie from taking the wrong path. Fairplay to Willie though, it took real courage to do what he did.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0130/1224263434247.html
If you have any comments on the issue don’t be afraid to post them here. Maybe you agree or disagree; it’s your opinion that counts.
D.K
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I feel bad for the people wha are reduced to begging but you hear so many stories about people who beg even though they don't need it, it's hard to tell if someone's genuine. I also share the worry of fueling the habits that may have put them on the street in the first place. My solution is to but food, a sandwhich or something like that and give it to them. Also I too am puzzeled of the noption to fine beggers, strange!
ReplyDeleteJM